May inflation stays flat

 Economy
Jun 042013
 
May inflation stays flat

MANILA, Philippines – Prices of goods and services in the country stayed flat at 2.6 percent in May amid mixed price movements among commodity groups, the National Statistics Office reported on Wednesday. The indices for food and non-alcoholic beverages and housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels registered higher rates while the indices of seven other commodity groups slowed down. The index for transport dipped while the education index retained its previous month’s rate, the state agency said. “This still leads us to an average inflation rate of 3 percent for the first five months of 2013, exactly at the low-end of the Development Budget Coordination Committee’s inflation target of 3 to 5 percent for 2013,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said. Inflation a year ago was at 2.9 percent. Headline inflation in the National Capital Region (NCR) grew to 1.8 percent in May, slightly higher than the 1.7 percent posted the previous month. A year ago, it was at 2.3 percent. Meanwhile, areas outside NCR inched slightly upward from 2.8 percent in April to 2.9 percent in May.

LOCAL ASIAN TV STATION STEPS UP ITS CAMPAIGN AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

 Entertainment
Jun 042013
 

KSCI-TV LA 18 to Broadcast “Telethon for Change, Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence” Live on Saturday, June 22, 2013, 3-5pm PST Los Angeles—KSCI-TV LA 18 (LA 18), Los Angeles’ #1 Asian TV station, will air a telethon to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Asian American community for the second year in […]

Undersecretary Garcia urges cooperation on peaceful uses of nuclear technology

 Entertainment
Jun 042013
 

Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Policy Evan P. Garcia urged more cooperation in the region on developing peaceful applications of nuclear technology and addressing nuclear threats. “The members of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) have a common stake in ensuring the peaceful use of nuclear technology, which is a legitimate right of all states parties […]

US auto sales roar back in May

 Economy
Jun 042013
 
US auto sales roar back in May

A buyer moves between rows of 2013 Ram pickup trucks and Dart sedans at a Dodge dealership in Littleton, Colorado. Chrysler’s US sales rose 11 percent in May, a sign that auto sales rebounded from a slight dip in April and will continue to boost the US economy. AP DETROIT (AP) – Full-size pickups once again dominated US auto sales in May, as small businesses – increasingly confident in the economy – raced to replace the aging pickups they held on to during the recession. Car buyers, too, were lured by low interest rates and Memorial Day sales. Overall, US consumers bought 1.4 million vehicles in May, up eight percent from the same month a year ago, according to Autodata Corp. The results suggest the auto industry will remain a bright spot in an economy that’s been slowed by weak manufacturing. And the boost from the industry will help sustain the economy’s steady job growth. Most automakers topped analysts’ expectations last month, with Nissan reporting its highest May sales ever after cutting prices on seven popular models. Chrysler, Ford, Honda and Toyota also reported increases. Only Volkswagen’s sales were down from last May. Automakers sold 173,972 full-size pickups in May, the highest total since a year-end rush last December, according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank. Sales of Ford’s F-Series pickup, which is the country’s best-selling vehicle, rose 31 percent to a six-year high of 71,604. General Motors and Chrysler also posted full-size truck sales gains of more than 20 percent. Those sales Read More …

US manufacturing index sinks to June 2009 level

 Economy
Jun 042013
 
US manufacturing index sinks to June 2009 level

WASHINGTON (AP) — A measure of US manufacturing fell in May to its lowest level since June 2009 as slumping overseas economies and weak business spending reduced new orders and production. The Institute for Supply Management said Monday that its index of manufacturing activity fell to 49 last month from 50.7 in April. That’s the lowest level in nearly four years and the first time the index has dipped below 50 since November. A reading under 50 indicates contraction. The ISM index had sunk during the recession to a low of 33.1 in December 2008. Since the recession ended in June 2009, it peaked at 59.6 in February 2011. Monday’s report showed that a gauge of new orders fell to 48.8, the lowest in nearly a year. Production dropped to its lowest point since May 2009, and employment dipped. Manufacturing has struggled this year as weak economies abroad have slowed US exports. US businesses have also reduced their pace of investment in areas such as equipment and computer software. At the same time, consumers are holding back on spending more for factory-made goods, possibly a result of higher Social Security taxes, which have reduced most workers’ paychecks this year. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Monday’s weak manufacturing reading suggests that the economy will slow in the April-June quarter from its 2.5-percent annual pace in the first three months of the year. Many analysts expect the economy’s annual growth rate this quarter to be about two percent. Read More …

DFA cautions Filipinos in Saudi Arabia on coronavirus threat

 News
Jun 042013
 
DFA cautions Filipinos in Saudi Arabia on coronavirus threat

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 11:37 pm | Tuesday, June 4th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday advised Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, particularly those camped out at tent shelters outside the Philippine embassy in Riyadh, to take precautionary health measures amid the spread of the coronavirus, a disease that has most affected the Arab country with 39 known cases of contraction and 25 reported deaths. No Filipino has so far been reported to have been stricken with the disease, but the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh issued an advisory for Philippine nationals to take preventive measures and protect themselves from the disease. “There are no reports of any Filipino in Saudi Arabia being infected with the new virus which, according to news reports, caused the death of several Saudis,” said DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. “Our citizens in Saudi Arabia should follow the advice of the Saudi Health Ministry and other relevant authorities. The embassy has also issued an advisory detailing the symptoms of the disease and the preventive measures that our kababayans in Saudi Arabia can take,” he said in a press conference on Tuesday. Experts have said the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) stemmed from the same viral family as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, an outbreak which spread around the world in 2003, killing some 775 people, according to a Reuters report. The new virus is known to have spread to France, Read More …

Priests do not need to tote guns – Catholic bishops

 News
Jun 042013
 
Priests do not need to tote guns – Catholic bishops

Despite the privilege given priests to carry firearms in a new gun ownership law, some bishops have come forward to say that men of the cloth do not need to be armed. “Priests are supposed to be men of peace, not of war,” said Malolos Bulacan Bishop Jose Oliveros in an article on the Union of Catholic Asian News. The bishops were reluctant to take advantage of a law President Benigno Aquino III signed allowing individuals in professions of imminent danger to own firearms. Aside from priests, other professions listed under the new law include media workers, members of the integrated bar council, certified public accountants and physicians. “Our Lord said, he who lives by the sword will die by the sword. We should not counter violence with violence,” Oliveros added. Archbishop Ramon Arguelles of Lipa also noted that contrary to what the new law may state, priests are not and should not be afraid of danger. “If the general public, especially the poor, are exposed to dangers, we cannot be less,” he said. Instead Arguelles said priests carry “non-destructive” weapons such as the “weapon of forgiveness, mercy, goodness and love.” “These weapons never hurt. All other weapons destroy,” he added. The UCAN report noted that in Mindanao alone, at least 13 priests had been killed since 1970. Only one case has been resolved so far. The report added that priests working in Mindanao areas considered flashpoints – such as Sulu and Basilan – are usually escorted by at least Read More …

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